Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing The Growing Islamic Radicalization In France, Virginia Ruth Brommer

Honors Theses

Islamic radicalization in European countries is becoming more and more prevalent, as evidenced by the number of recent attacks by Muslims in Europe. I argue that the social, religious, and psychological environment in France creates a unique opportunity for Islamic radicalization, particularly through social media and in prisons. After defining radicalization and explaining two radicalization processes as well as different types of radicals, I analyze the specific factors present in France that contribute to this radicalization. I use case study analysis to examine several French citizens who radicalized, either online or in prison, in order to show how the recruiter …

High Frequency Trading 101: Regulatory Impact In American And European Markets, Yasmine Elisabeth Allen

Honors Theses

High frequency trading has impacted the American and European financial markets through its advanced algorithms, rapid speed, and preferential treatment from purchasing information and co-location from exchanges. High frequency trading alone is not harmful, but without proper regulations it can hurt the financial markets. In this thesis, I researched implemented regulations, the consequences of those regulations, and pending new regulations. To gather information, I studied relevant research on the topic, including numerous academic articles and books to get a broader view of the issues. Through my research, I have found that previous regulations implemented by American and European regulatory agencies …

Identification Of Inhibitors Of Fxii, Alexandra C. Bensel

Honors Theses

Hereditary angioedema is characterized by recurrent swelling of the extremities, larynx, and gastrointestinal tract. While type I and type II hereditary angioedema result from a C1-inhibitor deficiency, a new variant of the disease, type III hereditary angioedema, was recently discovered in individuals with functioning levels of the C1-inhibitor. Ongoing research has postulated that increased activity of factor XII is responsible for this new form of hereditary angioedema because it causes overproduction of bradykinin. The purpose of the experiment was to identify inhibitors of factor XII. One hundred and seventy six molecules were screened through a dose response using Human Factor …

Design And Synthesis Of Dual Opioids/Npff Ligands As Novel Analgesics With Reduced Tolerance Potential, John N. Yi

Honors Theses

Opioid use has become prevalent in today's culture. As a treatment for acute and chronic pain, opioids permeate in the public sphere as a seemingly easy solution. However, problems that come from the increased use of opiates, especially in the last fifteen years, have shown detrimental effects in society. Not only are all opioid-based analgesics considered addictive, but the nature of such painkillers also enables a phenomenon known as tolerance, where the body adapts to the use of exogenous opioids. This creates a situation where a more potent dose of painkiller is required for the same analgesic effect. The focus …

An Examination Of The College Major Decisions Of Students At The University Of Mississippi, Jonathan P. Evans

Honors Theses

Factors such as socio-economic status affect students' level of educational aspiration. Furthermore, major (and thus career choice) may be influenced by race or gender. This study demonstrates the effects of academic aptitude, race, gender, first generation status, and importance of expected future earnings on undergraduate students' college major decision. More specifically, this study examines if these factors lead to an increase or decrease in the probability of students choosing a major in a specific field. The likelihood of choosing a major in a specific field is relative a baseline category, which can be changed.

More Than Skin Deep: An Examination Of The Negative Effects Of Advertising On Women, Kathryn A. Bridgers

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine how the way women are portrayed in advertising creates an unattainable ideal standard of beauty and negatively affects the self- image of women. The first chapter will look back on the history of advertising to women. It will examine where this ideal standard of beauty originated from and how it was spread throughout American society. The next chapter explores how advertisers use specific psychological techniques to sell not only a product to consumers, but also sell an ideal, attitude or lifestyle. The third chapter examines trends in advertisements, such as objectifying and sexualizing women, stereotyping women …

Portrayals Of Pinochet: Historical Narratives In Chilean Schools, Katie J. Wright

Honors Theses

How is the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship represented historically in contemporary Chilean society? To answer this question, this thesis examines the education system, with a focus on high schools and universities in Valparaíso, Chile. I argue that there are two competing discourses about the Pinochet administration - a majority, anti-dictatorship perspective and a minority, pro-regime position - which selectively emphasize differing aspects of the regime. The anti position focuses on human rights violations while the pro perspective puts greater weight on economic achievements. This maps onto Chilean high school institutions, with a majority of upper and upper-middle class students attending private …

Brains In Motion: How To Utilize The Connection Between Movement And Learning In The Classroom, Keely Kennedy

Honors Theses

Recent research reveals that the state of Mississippi ranks among other states as the highest in obesity and ADHD and among the lowest in education. These rankings negatively affect the state as a whole by associating Mississippi with an image of being unhealthy and unintelligent. Studies show that physical activity is related to the brain and its processes, so there is obviously a connection between Mississippi's high obesity and ADHD rates and inferior education. However, teachers are unaware of the relevance of the connection between movement, high levels of obesity, low education rates, and high levels of ADHD; thus, they …

Someday My Prince Will Come: How Are Gender Roles Enabled And Constrained In Disney Music, During Classic Disney, The Disney Renaissance, And Modern Disney?, Lauren Hughes

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to study how Disney has promoted gender roles through its music over three different Disney eras: Classic, Renaissance, and Modern Disney. While Disney movies have been criticized in the past for having characters with unattainable bodies and unrealistic views on love and life, the role that Disney music plays in promoting gender roles has not been as thoroughly researched or as widely criticized. With the immensity that children learn and are surrounded by Disney music, it is imperative that the message that the children take in is a healthy one. Through the analysis of …

Internal Displacement In Ukraine: Where The Government Went Wrong, Annelise Albert

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to show how the Ukrainian government has delegitimized itself currently in the eyes of the Ukrainian People through its handling of the internal displacement problem. To show this, this thesis analyzes Ukrainian legislation passed pertaining to internally displaced people and how these pieces of legislation have been ineffective at producing any significant change in the IDP problem. In certain cases, this legislation is correlated with an increase in the number of IDPs. Further, this thesis analyzes the decline in public opinion of Ukrainian citizens with the government. Through interviews of different human rights organizations …

The Person You're Waiting For: Stories, Charles Ramsay Mccrory

Honors Theses

This collection of short fiction explores family, grief, and trauma from a variety of perspectives. Other themes spanning these five stories include parent-child bonds, addiction and recovery, and sexuality. Two pairs of stories (The Parents and The Painter, and Johnnie Walker and Staying Late, respectively) are linked in terms of character and setting; the middle story, Limits, is linked only tenuously to the last two stories through a common character. As stated in my introduction, I wrote each story on its own terms; I did not consider each story's placement in a collection until I had written and edited them …

Reflections On My Journey Using Visual Media In A Voice Recital, Claudia Salcedo

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a reflection of one student's process and execution of her vocal recital in which she incorporated visual media (digital paintings, light graphics, and videos). The author documented the technical and collaborative steps she took to prepare and perform her recital on December 5th, 2015. Preceding the chapters, the author includes a compilation of graphics or stills from the videos used in her recital. First, the author discusses why she felt it was important to present a recital in this manner. Next, the author elaborates on how her undergraduate studies and personal experience lead her to the …

Statistical Analysis Of Arsenic Concentrations In Subsurface Soils At The University Of Mississippi Field Station, David Thomas Webb

Honors Theses

The purpose of this investigation is to determine how arsenic concentration varies in soils with respect to soil structures, grain size, soil type, and depth. The investigation was conducted at the University of Mississippi Field Station (UMFS). The UMFS is located in Abbeville, MS and is roughly 700 acres in size. It includes ponds and former agricultural fields, and lies within an internally draining basin. Seven boreholes were drilled using a direct push geoprobe and sampled. The cores obtained from the borings were then cut at one foot intervals, producing a total of 90 soil samples. Each sample was observed …

How Blackrock Became The Gold Standard, Daniel Scott Drummond

Honors Theses

BlackRock is not a household financial name in American culture today. Most people think of Goldman Sachs. JPMorgan Chase, or Bank of America instead. However. BlackRock. founded in 1988. has the most assets under management in the world with $4.3 trillion and more than likely will be deemed a systemically important financial institution soon. As this research shows, BlackRock has a globalized, diverse, and booming business, but it needs to improve in the following three ways: 1. Obtain greater technological expertise on the board of directors 2. Gain an online brokerage presence 3. Diversify its revenue streams In spite of …

Paleolithic Protection In A Western World: A Look Into Preagricultural Nutrition As A Remedy For The Diseases Of Civilization, Emilie R. Caron

Honors Theses

The aim of this investigation is to discover the associations of the Western diet to noncommunicable diseases and to determine if a reversion to a Paleolithic diet will provide treatment and prevention of these diseases. Noncommunicable diseases, otherwise known as Diseases of Civilization, are lifestyle influenced diseases and encompass obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and associated cancers. Incidences of these diseases have skyrocketed in the past century and show no signs of decline. Since 1900, the death rates due to heart disease and cancer have risen to account for 47% of total deaths in the United States in 2010. (Tippett, …

Delta Air Lines: A Financial Analysis And Corresponding Recommendations For Delta Air Lines, Inc., Emily Bush

Honors Theses

This alternative thesis project is a financial analysis of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Utilizing the 10-K Financial Statements from 2009 to 2013, along with some correlating outside resources, a full business and financial analysis was completed. Starting with the business background and operations, and then working into analysis of the Financial Statements, corresponding recommendations were created for tax, audit and advisory planning strategies.. The bulk of the analysis utilized the 10-K data provided by the SEC, only using minimal other resources for background research. The research found that since filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy Delta Air Lines has improved substantially. Delta's …

Elevated Corticosterone Levels Decrease Vocal Attractiveness And Elicit Non-Calling Mating Tactics In Male Green Tree Frogs, Hyla Cinerea, Hannah Burroff

Honors Theses

Condition-dependent male alternative tactics are often driven by competition among males for females. The expression of alternative male mating tactics can be influenced by the external social environment as well as internal physiological state. Recent models predict that circulating levels of stress hormones (i.e., glucocorticoids) and androgens may be particularly important in determining mating tactic expression under varying social circumstances. This study intergrates both components to investigate the cause of alternative tactic adoption in male green tree frogs, Hyla cinerea. Males of this species produce acoustic signals that are critical for attracting females and male vocalizations stimulate production of the …

Food Insecurity In Nepal : A Cross-Sectional Analysis From 75 Districts, Aarti Reddy

Honors Theses

There are a number of studies regarding food insecurity, but not many that investigate the simultaneous relationships between food insecurity and the measures of well-being (health, education and gender equality). This paper conducts a district-level cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between food insecurity and the measures of well-being in Nepal using an ordered probit model. Instrument variables are used in a two-stage analysis to address the problem of endogeneity. The study finds that health deprivation levels significantly affect levels of food insecurity in a district but education and gender literacy disparity are less significant. Addressing issues of endogeneity and multicolinearity …

Cameron-Liebler Line Classes And Partial Difference Sets, Uthaipon Tantipongipat

Honors Theses

The work consists of three parts. The first is a study of Cameron-Liebler line classes which receive much attention recently. We studied a new construction of infinite family of Cameron-Liebler line classes presented in the paper by Tao Feng, Koji Momihara, and Qing Xiang (rst introduced in 2014), and summarized our attempts to generalize this construction to discover any new Cameron-Liebler line classes or partial difference sets (PDSs) resulting from the Cameron-Liebler line classes. The second is our approach to finding PDS in non-elementary abelian groups. Our attempt eventually led to the same general construction of PDS presented in John …

Breaking The Language Barrier : The Spanish Translation Of The Barriers To Access To Care Evaluation (Bace), Yosmary Rodriguez

Honors Theses

The Hispanic/Latino population in the United States has been identified as a high-risk group for mental health problems. Unfortunately, due to commonly reported factors such as lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate services, many fail to seek treatment. While growing research has focused on identifying and addressing the different barriers to accessing mental health care experienced by this community, there continues to be a lack of validated Spanish assessments to aid in the evaluation of these barriers. In hopes of overcoming this barrier, and working towards better quality of care for this growing population, this project translated the Barriers to …

Structure-Function Relationships Affecting The Sensing Mechanism Of Monolayer-Protected Cluster Doped Xerogel Amperometric Glucose Biosensors, Luke T. Dipasquale

Honors Theses

The research conducted in the Leopold Bioanalytical and Nanomaterials Analytical Chemistry Lab prior to the summer of 2013 focused on the synthesis of a functional biosensor equipped with a nanoparticle network embedded in a xerogel film for the detection of glucose. Xerogel-based films featuring embedded glucose oxidase enzyme and doped with alkanethiolate-protected gold NPs, known as monolayer protected clusters (MPCs), exhibit significantly enhanced performance compared to analogous systems without NPs including higher sensitivity, faster response time, and extended linear/dynamic ranges.

The following presented research is a systematic study of the structure-function relationships critical to understanding the sensing mechanism of the …

Britain's Failed Attempt At Fascism : The British Union Of Fascists, Years 1933-1934, Katherine L. Collier

Honors Theses

This honors thesis examines how and why Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF) tried to present itself as a viable political entity to mainstream British society in the years 1933- 1934. Though the BUF admired Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, this thesis argues that they sought to create their own distinctly British version of these Fascist movements. The BUF promised that Britain would again thrive, but only under strong fascist leadership which would provide an economic restructuring of government and a cohesive society, free from selfish individualism, decadence, and foreigners. The BUF promised to …

Dognition : The Effect Of Pet Ownership On Cognition In Older Adults, Molly Mcsweeney

Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of pet ownership on cognition in older adults. Previous research has indicated that interactions with pets are associated with improved mental and physical health in humans. We predicted that these benefits of human-pet interactions will extend to expose superior cognitive functioning in cat-owning or dog-owning older adults as compared to older adults who do not own pets. More specifically, we hypothesized that dog-owners would perform significantly better than cat-owners and non-pet owners on cognitive tasks as owning a dog requires exceeding attention, training, and exercise. We tested this effect …

"I Don't Think Of All The Misery, But Of The Beauty That Still Remains": Holocaust Education In The Music Classroom, Kathryn Eileen Stiadle

Honors Theses

On June 26, 2014, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a law requiring mandatory Holocaust and Genocide education in all Pennsylvania schools. This legislation, the result of efforts made by Holocaust author and advocated Rhonda Fink-Whitman, made Pennsylvania the sixth state to require Holocaust and Genocide education. However, the law does not state how to teach about this rather difficult topic. According to anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Alan Merriam, one of the functions of music in any society is "emotional expression." Because music gives us the ability to convey emotions in a way that speech perhaps cannot, it is a beneficial tool …

Fan Perceptions Of Selling Alcoholic Beverages At A College Football Stadium, Danielle E. Hennessy

Honors Theses

Consuming alcohol while watching a sporting event has become a tradition within the sport commnnity. Almost one in ten sports fans leave major league stadiums with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, with 40% of spectators consuming alcohol during the game (Lopatto, 2011). Due to this tradition, many colleges and universities have struggled to answer the question, should alcohol be sold at our athletic events? To answer this question research has been done on many factors including binge drinking, violence and safety, alcohol control policies, tailgating and attendance.

The Phenomenon Of Homegrown Radicalization In The United States, Austin W. Mceldred

Honors Theses

The phenomenon of homegrown radicalization in the United States has become a disturbing trend for many Americans in the past decade. Many of these radicalized individuals raised in the United States come from affluent families and have had many of the opportunities that any other Americans are granted. In this thesis content analysis and case study examinations are used to explore the question of what is leading to individuals becoming radicalized in the United States. This study examines five cases of homegrown radicalization to determine the role that traumatic events, alienation, poverty, internet usage, a perceived divide between the West …

Student Nurse Behaviors And Barriers To Successful Completion Of The Traditonal Bachelor's In Science Of Nursing (Bsn) Program., Carri Shaw

Honors Theses

Change is often said to be the only constant in life. This holds true to the rapidly growing field of nursing. In order to meet the demands of new challenges that emerge in nursing, the way future nurses are educated also has changed. Not all nursing students find that the profession is for them. Therefore, some attrition from school is expected. This descriptive study will explore factors that the literature suggests are related to attrition at a mid-sized public university in the Midwest. A survey given to two different level nursing cohorts will give insight to pre-licensure nursing students’ experiences …

Family Centered Care In Icu Settings, Victoria Kingsinger

Honors Theses

More than 5 million patients are admitted each year to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the US, and approximately 55,000 critically ill patients are cared for each day. ICU patients are a diverse population that has a need for an increased level of care. These patients often require ventilatory or cardiovascular support, invasive monitoring, and intense nursing and physician observation (Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2015). There are five primary admitting diagnoses for adults, which include respiratory failure, postoperative management, ischemic heart disorders, and sepsis. The mean age of patients is rising, particularly due to the baby boom generation, and …

Does Social Media Help Create Brand Loyalty?, Ali Russo

Honors Theses

Throughout my time at Haworth College of Business, Social Media has been a big topic of discussion. The issue has not been if companies should use it as a tool to reach consumers but how do companies effectively utilize Social Media sites. Companies have two important ways to utilize these sites: the first is to collect data from users, and the second is to create a platform where they can interact and influence purchasing decisions. I wanted to create a thesis that focused on the interaction side of Social Media. Initially, I wanted to see if Social Media would create …

Competing In The International Collegiate Sales Competition, Christina Cook

Honors Theses

The following report aims to analyze the process that is involved in competing in the International Collegiate Sales Competition. There will be an overview of the selection process and the competition itself and an analysis of the overall performance at the competition. In addition, there will also be an overview of lessons learned by competing along with general suggestions to future competitors and competition coordinators.

Before examining the details of the competition, this thesis will address the Sales and Business Marketing program at Western Michigan University. In addition, there will be models referenced within Western Michigan University’s sales program that …